Bitcoin tops $15,000, 12 hours after clearing $14,000

Bitcoin rises above $15,000 for the first time.
The digital currency has risen $3,000 in the last 36 hours.

LONDON — Bitcoin's incredible rise continues, with the digital currency rising above $15,000 for the first time on Thursday morning in London.

Bitcoin passed $15,000 at around 10.50 a.m. GMT (5.50 a.m. ET). The passing of the symbolic level comes around 12 hours after bitcoin cleared $14,000 for the first time. Bitcoin has now risen by over $3,000 over the last 36 hours and has risen well over 1,000% across 2017.

The incredible rise means the total value of the entire cryptocurrency market has now passed $400 billion, according to CoinMarketCap.com. The market only surpassed $300 billion 10 days ago.

The current bull run began in earnest at the end of October when CME Group, the world's biggest exchange operator, announced plans to launch bitcoin futures contracts that will give institutional investors exposure to the new asset class. Rival CBOE is beating CME Group to the punch, launching its future contracts on Monday.

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